AbbVie is launching collaborations with two research institutions aimed at advancing cancer-focused research and discovery, the biopharma and its partners said today, continuing a series of efforts by the company to boost its oncology R&D.

The value was not disclosed for the 5-year collaborations, through which AbbVie will partner separately with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

Both institutions and AbbVie said they will work in several areas of oncology research, which could include, lung, colorectal, breast, prostate, and hematological cancers in addition to other areas.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Lurie Cancer Center will be allowed to access new therapies developed by AbbVie for preclinical research funded under the agreement. The researchers will work with AbbVie research teams under the agreements, which give AbbVie the option to obtain exclusive licenses for treatments discovered at both institutions through the collaborations.

Within each collaboration, joint steering committees consisting of representatives from each organization will determine the research projects to be undertaken. Researchers from AbbVie and the institutions agreed to discuss their joint research, and evaluate potential new projects, in annual symposia.